Delay Payout

Distance bands / Within the EU, over 1,500 km

6 routes · long intra-EU

Flights within the EU, over 1,500 km

A flight between two EU airports that is longer than 1,500 km pays a flat €400 under EU261, however far it goes — even past 3,500 km, where a flight leaving the EU would pay €600.

1,500 km3,500 km1234
  1. 1Band edge 1,500 km
  2. 2Band edge 3,500 km
  3. 3EU261 €400
  4. 4Routes 6
HEL–TFS4,742 kmLIS–HEL3,364 kmCDG–ATH2,109 kmDUB–FAO1,830 kmMAD–TFS1,824 kmBER–PMI1,646 km
Great-circle distance of each route in this band, computed from airport coordinates. Bars to scale from zero.
EU261
€400
Care from
3 h
Half if re-routed within
3 h

What the band pays

What happenedEU261
Arrived 3+ hours late€400
Cancelled at short notice or bumped€400
…re-routed, landing within 3 hours€200

Article 7(1)(b) is the source: "EUR 400 for all intra-Community flights of more than 1500 kilometres". The French overseas departments, the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands count as EU territory (Article 355(1) TFEU), so Helsinki to Tenerife — 4,742 km — pays €400, not €600. UK261 has no equivalent, which is why this band has no UK column.

Routes in this band

The shortest route here is Berlin to Palma de Mallorca at 1,646 km and the longest is Helsinki to Tenerife at 4,742 km. 6 touch an EU airport.

RouteDistanceRules that can apply
BER–PMI Berlin–Palma de Mallorca1,646 kmEU261, UK261
MAD–TFS Madrid–Tenerife1,824 kmEU261, UK261
DUB–FAO Dublin–Faro1,830 kmEU261, UK261
CDG–ATH Paris–Athens2,109 kmEU261, UK261
LIS–HEL Lisbon–Helsinki3,364 kmEU261, UK261
HEL–TFS Helsinki–Tenerife4,742 kmEU261, UK261

Care while you wait

In this band, EU261 requires meals and refreshments once the departure is 3 hours late, and a hotel plus transport when the new departure is the next day. The duty applies even when the delay is caused by weather or air traffic control, because care is separate from compensation. If the airline does not provide it, buy what is reasonable, keep receipts and claim the cost back with the compensation claim.

Other bands

Source: Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (EUR-Lex); UK Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, Article 7 (legislation.gov.uk); distances from airport coordinates (see methodology). Checked 2026-10-20.